When I was a kid my teacher read a Chinese folk tale about a boy who goes on an adventure with a dragon.
Being young and rather blunt-minded I couldn’t help wondering why the dragon didn’t just breathe fire on the boy and eat him. That’s what dragons do, right?
Except of course it wasn’t a dragon. Not in the European sense. It was an East Asian dragon, which is an entirely different beast, known in China as a 龍 loong.
Rather than being the murderous, fire-breathing villains of European legend, loong are viewed much more positively. They are thought to bring good luck. They are often painted on the ceilings of Japanese temples as protection against fire.
Perhaps 2024 should be considered the Year of the Loong.
You can read more in this article in the Hong Kong news website The Standard.
The above Dragon Loong calligraphy artwork is available for purchase on my Etsy shop here.
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Calligraphy by Vicky 